Polyvinylidene fluoride has a wide range of applications and production is gradually increasing

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a highly non-reactive thermoplastic fluoropolymer produced through the polymerization of 1,1-vinylidene fluoride. Polyvinylidene fluoride combines the characteristics of fluorine resin and general-purpose resin. In addition to its resistance to ultraviolet radiation, high temperature resistance, and oxidation resistance, it also has special properties such as thermoelectricity, dielectricity, and piezoelectricity.

At present, my country’s polyvinylidene fluoride production technology has matured and can be roughly divided into solution polymerization, emulsion polymerization, suspension polymerization, supercritical polymerization, etc. Among them, the production processes commonly used in the market mainly include emulsion polymerization and suspension polymerization. The products produced by the emulsion polymerization method have smaller particle sizes and have relatively good thermal stability and solvent solubility, while the products produced by the suspension polymerization method have smaller particle sizes and are easier to color, so they are mostly used to prepare products such as color masterbatches.

From the perspective of application fields, polyvinylidene fluoride is widely used in the production of lithium battery adhesives, photovoltaic backsheet films, water treatment films, injection molded products, coatings and other products. It is used in lithium batteries, photovoltaics, optical instruments, It is widely used in aerospace, water treatment, military industry, coatings, plastics and other fields. Among them, lithium batteries have become the largest application field of polyvinylidene fluoride, accounting for 38.7%; followed by coatings, accounting for 28.9%.

In the field of lithium batteries, polyvinylidene fluoride has relatively good adhesion and conductivity, and is mostly used as a binder and separator coating material. It can improve the battery’s high-rate discharge performance, promote electrochemical reactions, and extend the battery cycle life. In the photovoltaic field, polyvinylidene fluoride is mostly used to produce photovoltaic backsheet films, which play the role of waterproofing, anti-oxidation, and supporting components. Overall, the market demand for polyvinylidene fluoride is relatively huge.

According to the “China Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center span> shows that driven by downstream market demand, my country’s polyvinylidene fluoride companies have gradually expanded their production scale and increased their output. In 2022, my country’s polyvinylidene chloride production will be 138,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 12.9%.

Foreign polyvinylidene chloride companies mainly include Wuyu Group, Solvay, Arkema, Daikin Group, etc., and domestic large-scale polyvinylidene chloride companies mainly include Huaan New Materials, Dongyue Group, and Sanaifu , Sinochem Blue Sky, Funuolin, Haohua Technology, etc. Among them, Arkema has the largest market share in my country’s polyvinylidene chloride market, accounting for 20.7%; followed by Dongyue Group, with a market share of 15.4%.

Industry analysts said that foreign polyvinylidene chloride companies occupy a leading position in the market with their advanced production technology, excellent product quality and other advantages. Covering most of my country’s high-end markets. Domestic polyvinylidene chloride companies mainly focus on the mid- to low-end market due to relatively backward production technology. However, with the rapid development of polyvinylidene chloride enterprises and the gradual improvement of research and development levels, the gap between my country’s and foreign advanced production levels has gradually narrowed, and the localization rate of high-end polyvinylidene chloride is expected to increase in the future.